Attracting Talent During the ‘Talent Drought’
In this new economy, organisations will need to be heavily investing in their staff if they wish to keep them, as well as attracting new diverse talent. Mark Stangroom, Talent Acquisition Director, Incubeta, will discuss how to successfully navigate the talent drought and attract desirable applicants.
As the UK economy has begun to pick up, so has the job market – the number of people on payroll has increased for the sixth month in a row.
However, as remnants of uncertainty remain in people’s minds, fuelled by a cocktail of the pandemic and Brexit, a large amount of the skilled workforce are hesitant to leave the safety of their current job. This has resulted in the creation of a fiercely competitive hiring landscape, which businesses need to find a way to navigate.
In addition to the pandemic and Brexit, other social issues have continued to be brought to the forefront of people’s minds, including LGBTQ+ issues, Black Lives Matter, environmental concerns, mental health and things like maternal health for new mothers.
Having had time to re-evaluate and restore balance to their lives many employees are less willing to return to the office five days a week. The reality is that as people’s priorities change, so must the businesses who wish to attract this new liberated workforce.
Creating an environment in which people want to work has always been an important contributing factor to hiring the best people, but it really is critical in a talent drought. With that in mind, here are three things companies can focus on now to help create a place where people want to come and work.
Supporting a Hybrid Working Environment
Although hybrid working models are still relatively new, they definitely look as though they are here to stay. Increasingly, would-be employees see an acceptance and tolerance of alternative working models as table stakes. However, managing this new mixed working environment presents a series of challenges across the workforce, which companies need to be putting serious planning into.
This includes things like preventing a divide between the ‘in-person’ team and the ‘virtual’ team. For example, management teams need to be able to create a culture of virtual inclusion within meetings to avoid overlooking the voices of participants who are attending remotely.
On top of this, measuring performance can become more complex due to the lack of visibility over employees. Previous management systems were built around the concept of everyone being in one place and are no longer fit for purpose as we continue to embrace remote working. Cloud productivity platforms such as G Suite, trello, and Slack can all be powerful tools when it comes to keeping project management and productivity high.
Creating an Inclusive Culture
There are many different issues that people feel passionate about in today’s society, and companies need to ensure those voices are listened to and supported within the company culture. Today, many people are looking for a diverse and inclusive culture in their workplace, one that creates a safe and open working environment for all employees.
This is never truer than when sustaining a millennial workforce, with 47% actively looking for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. As a result, 75% of employees will use diversity as a key measurement when choosing an employer by 2025. It’s clear, diversity is key to attracting the best talent to drive a business forward, which is why it’s so important to make it part of a company’s DNA.
Health and Wellbeing
Employees want to be in a work culture where they feel valued and cared for, and this can mean a range of different things.
Some of the key things we’re seeing our own workforce highlight include: enhanced support for parents; and the ability to work in companies where they take their employee’s mental health seriously – for most people success no longer means working 100-hour weeks – and companies are introducing things like mental health days.
In addition to this there has been a huge focus on women’s safety following recent events, and initiatives like Get home Safe are helping to make a difference.
All these things can add up to a working environment that really checks the boxes for prospective employees, and help them feel comfortable about switching jobs at this time. And if you’re still struggling for ideas of how you can transform your business and make it a great place to work, try asking your existing workforce what they want to see, they’re probably the best barometer of the wider landscape.
Authored by Mark Stangroom, Talent Acquisition Director, Incubeta.